1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to integrated circuits, and more particularly, to adjustments of operating voltage based on a temperature of an integrated circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Advances in integrated circuit (IC) technology have increased the number of transistors on a single IC chip. The operating frequencies of some IC chips have also increased. The large number of transistors and increase in operating frequency has resulted in a corresponding increase in power consumption by IC chips. A corresponding increase in thermal output has also accompanied the increase in transistor count and operating frequency.
Management of power consumption and thermal output has increase in importance with the above-mentioned advances in IC technology. This is particularly true for portable devices that may rely on a battery for at least some of their operation. One manner in which power may be saved is to reduce the operating voltage of an IC. The power consumption by a given IC can be calculated as the square of the operating voltage. Accordingly, reduction of the operating voltage can have a significant impact on power consumption.